Mosquitoes are making their mark on the Sunshine Coast, where hundreds of people have been infected with a tropical virus.
Experts have urged locals to be protect themselves from the insects during the wet season, after there were about 390 cases of Ross River virus in the region during 2024.
That’s 1.7 times more than the five-year average.
Mount Coolum local Alana Huntress was among those to develop Ross River fever.
She started suffering from symptoms in December 2023.
She started feeling extremely tired, especially at the end of the day, noticed swelling around her feet and legs, and had fevers.
“It wasn’t enough to make me really concerned so I just kind of struggled through it for a couple of weeks and then we went on a camping trip quite remotely, so I didn’t have access to any medical services and that’s when my symptoms progressed, and I was feeling really unwell,” she said.
When she returned home, she saw her GP and received a diagnosis of Ross River virus.
She said while she’d heard of Ross River virus in the past, she didn’t realise how much it could impact her.
“The symptoms did go on for a couple of months and even now, 12 months later, I do have recurring joint pain and fatigue,” she said.
“I think when I’m battling other viruses that I pick up from the kids I get a resurgence in my symptoms.”
The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service radiation therapist suspected she was bitten at home and wanted to raise awareness.
“I’m definitely much more on the ball now: keeping myself and my family protected from mosquitos and being really vigilant around dusk and dawn time when they’re really active,” she said.
“I’ve also installed a series of fly screens throughout my home as well as just another layer of protection.”
Sunshine Coast Health public health physician Dr Nicolas Smoll said cases could occur year-round but numbers were particularly worse in summer and after rain.
“This year has been a year where we’ve had quite a bit more rain than we normally do, which can contribute to large amounts of freshwater being stagnant and lying around and therefore great mosquito breeding grounds,” he said.
Ross River virus is a mosquito-borne disease that causes inflammation and pain in multiple joints.
Symptoms can include fever with joint pain, swelling and a raised red rash.
While most people recover in a few weeks, symptoms can persist for months.
There have also been 50 recorded cases of Barmah Forest virus in the region in 2024, which has similar symptoms to Ross River but usually lasts for a shorter duration.
Since there is no specific drug treatment available for either, Dr Smoll said prevention was key.
“If you’re going to go out and you’re going to put sunscreen on, consider at the same time putting mosquito repellent on and even better we’d love to see long sleeve shirts and long sleeve pants,” he said.
Dr Smoll said the same advice applied for overseas travellers.
“Australia’s been seeing one of the greatest surges of overseas acquired dengue in a very long time,” he said.
“A lot of that reason is there’s been large outbreaks of dengue overseas, in particular in Thailand and Bali, so it’s really important for people who are travelling to wear long sleeves and cover themselves in mosquito repellent.”
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There have also been 38 recorded cases of dengue on the Sunshine Coast this year, which is four times higher than the five-year average.
Dr Smoll said the Sunshine Coast doesn’t have the mosquito that transmits dengue, so these cases were acquired overseas.
Anyone with symptoms should see their GP immediately.
